PHILADELPHIA — Looking for any kind of jolt for a slumping offense, the Philadelphia Phillies benched All-Star third baseman Alec Bohm for Sunday’s Game 2 of the National League Division Series.
Bohm was healthy but is in a funk after an 0-for-4 outing in a 6-2 Game 1 loss to the New York Mets in which he slammed his helmet in frustration after another empty at-bat.
Edmundo Sosa started at third base against Mets starter Luis Severino.
“I wanted to get some energy in the lineup with Sosa, he’s kind of our energy guy,” manager Rob Thomson said before Game 2. “Bohm’s not swinging the bat particularly well, but he’s not the only one. He’s frustrated. But I just wanted to get Sosa in there.”
With the Phillies trailing 4-3 in the seventh, Bohm pinch-hit for Sosa with one out and a runner on first base. Bohm popped up to third base against right-hander Jose Butto.
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Bohm hit .280 this season with 15 homers, 97 RBIs and 44 doubles but faded down the stretch. He ended the regular season in a 2-for-27 slump and — in a very small sample size — is 0-for-3 lifetime against Severino.
He is a .222 career postseason hitter (24-for-108) with two home runs and 14 RBIs in 31 games.
Sosa hit .257 with seven homers and 31 RBIs in 90 games this season.
“He goes out there, and he runs around,” Thomson said. “And I think he energizes other people as well, and that’s what we need.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
